Clock



A. P. HODGE GL'OCK Filed May 15, 1924 IN VEN TOR ATTQRN .r

Patented Dec. 23, 192

ALBERT I. I-EODGTL, CLOCK COMPANY, OF

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rezone tar orricn.

VIIHSTED, C0151 ECTT Application filed 1-day 15, 1 .924.

1' 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1. Ancient P. Honor. a citizen of the United Statesresiting at Ninsted, county of Litchlield, of Connecticut, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Clocks, of which. the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to striking clocks, and has for its object toprovide a novel and improved clock of this type. it further has for itsobject to provide a clock of this type in which the striking mechanismis capable of operating to strike on the quater hours as well as tostrike the hours. Arr other object of the invention is to provide astriking mechanism of the character indicated in which the striking onthe three successive quarter hours are clearly distinguishable in soundfrom each other a from the striking of the hour. A still further objectof the invention is to provide a striking mechanism of the characterindicated which is simple in construction and reliable in operation.

The following is a description of an r bodiment of my invention,reference ben had to the accompanying drawings, which,-

Figure 1 is a rear view of a portion of a clock with its casing removed,embodying the features of my invention in their preferred form;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, withcertain well known parts of the clock mechanism re moved; and

Fig. 1 is a view similar to a portion of Fig. 1 and showing certainparts of the striking mechanism in the position they a sume in strikingon the quarter hour.

The clock illustrated in the drawings is provided with a framecomprising front and back plates 2 and 1- in which the ends an arbor 6are journal-ed in suitable bearings, the arbor carrying the minute-hando.

The clock is further provided with striking mechanism comprising twohammers each of which is secured on the outer end of a wire 12. Thewires 12 are bent about and secured to separate collars 1' pivotallymounted on a stud 16 secured to the lower end of an inwardly bent hangeror bracket 18 which is secured by bolts 20 to the rear Serial No.713,403.

side of the back plate t. The other ends each wire 12 are connected bywires 22 with the outer ends of wire arms 24 which are secured oncollars 26, the two collars being pivotally mounted side by side on astud shaft 28 secured to the back frame plate 4t. The downward movementof the two wire arms 524i is limited by a stop-pad 80 mounted on theouter end of an outwardly projecting bracket arm 82 secured to the plateThe arms 2 1 extend inwardly a dis nce beyond the collars 26 to providetail-pieces 34: that are arranged at opposite sides of a circular disk36 secured on the rear end of shaft 38 suitably ournaled in hearings inthe front and back frame plates :2 and 1. Each side of the disk 36 hassecured thereto two diametrically opposed pins 3t}. the pins on theinner side of the dis; being spaced a distance in advance of those onthe side thereof. The pins 39 and the tail-pieces 3 1 are so arrangedthat upon rotation of the disk in a clockwise direction viewing Fig. 1,one of the pins on the forward side the disk will engage the inn rtail-piece S land swing the outer end of the arm 2 1 upwardly so as toact through the wires 22 and 12 associated therewith, to raise the innerhammer 10, and as the pin passes the end of the tail-piece to releasethe arm permitting the hammer to drop down y gravity upon its soundingbar or bell. Just before said pin on the inner side of the disk 36releases the arm 24, the adjacent pin on the rear side of the diskengages the tail-piece of the other arm it so as to raise the hammerassociated therewith, and as the pin passes the end of this tail-piecethe hammer is permitted to drop down upon its striking bar or bell. Dunmg the continued rotation of the disk 86 the other two pins carried bythe disk act on the tail-pieces 3 t to first raise and then drop thehammers 10 successively in a similar manner to the operation of thefirst set of pins. The disk 86 is thus rotated at each hour and isrotated a proper number of times to cause the hammers to strike thehour. h both hammers act in rapid succession so as to etl'ect a doublestrike at each one-half revolution of the disk 36., the disk is rotatedat each hour onc-half the number of the hour. The disk 86 is rotatedthrough a pinion 12 carried by the disk shaft 38 which is connectedthrough suitable gearing with the usual spring that drives the strikmgmechanism, and the striking mechanism is thrown into and out ofoperation at the proper times to strike the hour through devices orhammers 10 to strike on the quarter and half hours, the constructionbeing such that the striking of the three successive quarter hours isclearly distinguishable in sound from each other and from the strikingof the hour. This means comprises a disk 44 which is riveted orotherwise secured on the extreme rear end of the minute-hand arbor 6,the end of the arbor protruding a distance beyond the back frame plate4. The disk is provided with two diametrically opposed arms 46 and withan arm 48 arranged at right angles to the arms 46. The end of one of thearms 46 is bent inwardly to provide a lug 52, and the end of the otherarm 48 is bent outwardly in the'opposite direction to provide a lug 54.The end of the arm 48 is provided with lugs 56 projecting from oppositesides of the disk. The disk 44 is arranged between the free ends of twowire arms 58 having their other ends secured to the undersides of thecollars upon which the wire arms 24 are mounted. The free end of theforward or inner arm 58 is provided with a- U- shaped rearward bendforming an end portion 59 which is in the path of the lug 52 and theforward or inner one of the lugs 56. The free end of the other arm 58 ispro vided with a U-shaped inward or forward bend forming an end portion60 which is in the path of the lug 54 and the outer lug 56. Both endportions 59 and 60 are in the path of the lugs 56 on the arm 48.

The arms of the disk 44 are so positioned with relation to theminute-hand 8, that as the minute-hand approaches the first quarter pastthe hour, the lug 52 engages the upper side of the end portion 59 of theinner wire arm 58, and swings this arm clownwardly which, through theconnection therewith, raises the inner hammer 10, and when the minutehand reaches the quarter hour, the lug 52 rides off of the end said wirearm 58 to permit the han'uner to drop down upon its sounding bar orgong. In a similar manner, as the minute-hand approaches the thirdquarter of the hour, the lug 54 engages the end portion 60 of the outerwire arm 58, and swings this arm downwardly which through the connectiontherewith raises the outer hammer 10, and when the minute hand reachesthe last quarter of the hour, the lug 54 rides ofli of the end of saidouter wire arm 58 to permit the hammer to drop down upon its soundingbar or gon As the minute-hand approaches the haIf hour, both lugs 56engage the end portions oi? the wire arms 58 and swing both armsdowmvardly which, through the connections therewith, raise both hammers10, and as the minute hand reaches its half hour position the lugs 56ride oil of the ends of the wire arms 58 to permit both hammers to dropdown upon their respective soundin bars or gongs. As shown, the extremeend of the inner wire arm 58 is spaced a slight distance back of the endof the outer wire arm, so that the inner wire arm will be released aslight interval before the other, and hence the hammers will strike oneafter the other in rapid sequence in striking on the half hour.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the striking of the quarterand half hours are clearly distinguishable in sound, a single strikeoccurring on the quarter hour and a double strike on the half hour. Thestriking on the two quarter hours are distinguishable, as they arestruck by different hammers, diii'erent toned sounding gon or bars beingusually employed. The stri ing of the quarter hour is clearlydistinguishable in sound from the striking of the hour, as doublestrikes are made in striking the latter. The striking of the half houris clearly distinguisl'iable from the striking of the hour as the doublestrikes of the former are in quicker sequence than those of the latter.Also the striking on the quarter and half hours are still furtherdistinguishable in sound from the striking of the hour, in that lighterblows are struck in striking the former than in striking the latter, thehammers being raised a considerably less distance by the three arm disk4-4 than by the pin carrying disk 36.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention. perm ts ofvarious modifications without departing t'rom the spirit thereof or thescope of the appended claims.

hat I claim is:

1. In a clock, the combination with striking devices and means foroperating said devices to strike the hours, of means for causing saiddevices to strike on the first and third quarter hours and the halfhour.

2. In a clock, the combination with two striking devices, and means foroperating said devices to strike the hours, of means for causing saiddevices to strike on the first and third quarter hours and the halfhour, said devices striking on one of said first mentioned fractionalparts of the hour respectively, one at a time, and both of said devicesstriking one after the other on said other fractional part oi the hour.

3. In a clock, the combination with two striking devices and means foroperating said devices to strike the hours, of means for causing saiddevices to strike on two different fractional parts of the hour,respectively.

4. In a clock, the combination with a minute-hand carrying arbor,striking devices, and means for operating said devices to strike thehours, of means comprising an actuating member carried by said arbor andsuitable connections for causing said devices to strike respectively thefirst and third quarter hours and to both strike the half hour.

5. In a clock, the combination with a minute-hand carrying arbor,striking devices, connections for actuating said striking devicescomprising a plurality of pivotally mounted members each acting Whenrocked in one direction to operate one of said devices, and means forthus actuating said members to strike the hours, and means for actuatingsaid members to strike on the first and third quarter hours and the halfhour comprising an arm secured to each of said members, and devicescarried by said arbor for selectively actuating said arms at saidquarter hours.

ALBERT P. HODGE.

